Is The Bacon Fad Over?
By Melissa McEwen in Food on Mar 15, 2014 4:30PM
Chicago's Baconfest usually sells out within days, or even hours.
This year, though, there are still some general admission tickets left even after a few weeks. Is this a sign that bacon mania is over?
Not so says Modern Farmer– apparently bacon sales are still going up, even as prices soar due to the appetite-killing porcine epidemic diarrhea virus.
Is it because the news has been inundated with stories about studies that vindicate at least some of bacon’s previously-feared elements like saturated fat? Or because chefs continue to churn out delicious bacon dishes? According to Datassential, 67.5 percent of restaurants now have at least one bacon item, a percentage that has continued to grow.
As prices are set to drop again, will we see bacon continue its reign of meaty dominance? Hedge fund investors are saying no, with their bets on hog prices declining.
Are you tired of bacon yet? If economic trends in meat portend anything for food in Chicago, chicken is going to become more and more popular.
Fried chicken might indeed be the new bacon. New fried chicken shops like Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Parson’s Chicken and Fish, and Leghorn continue to draw crowds.
Bacon better watch its back.